Dinsey’s The Lion King returns to Manchester’s Palace Theatre

Disney’s award-winning production of The Lion King will play for five weeks at the Palace Theatre, Manchester, starting this weekend.

This follows its previous record-breaking engagement from November 2012 – April 2013.

On its first visit to the city, The Lion King played to more than 322,000 people at 166 performances, and generated more than £15 million for the local economy.

Manchester is the only city from the show’s successful tour of the UK and Ireland that will see a return engagement

A cast of more than 40 actors, singers and dancers will bring the story of The Lion King to life, using masks and puppets in a show which is suitable for viewers aged 6 years and upwards.

Disney’s The Lion King is based on the Academy award-winning animated film which was entrusted to director and co-designer Julie Taymor to adapt the film for the stage.

Taymor brought a vast array of disciplines to The Lion King which draws upon her experience of various theatrical styles and cultures to tell the compelling tale of Simba, the young lion cub, as he journeys through life and struggles to accept the responsibilities of adulthood and his destined role of King.

The stage adaptation of Disney’s 1994 film was first seen on Broadway in 1997, where it recently became the highest grossing show in Broadway history.

The production has now been seen by over 75 million people across six continents.

Among the most successful titles in entertainment history, with a cumulative gross in excess of $5 billion, the stage production of The Lion King has already earned more than the biggest hit films in movie history: more than the Lord of the Rings trilogy combined, more than the six Star Wars films combined, and more than Avatar and Titanic, the two highest-grossing films in movie history, combined.

The Lion King won six 1998 Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Scenic Design (Richard Hudson), Best Costume Design (Julie Taymor), Best Lighting Design (Donald Holder), Best Choreography (Garth Fagan) and Best Direction of a Musical.

The Lion King has also earned more than 70 major awards including the 1998 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the 1999 Grammy for Best Musical Show Album and the 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.

In recognition of its last sell out Manchester run, The Walt Disney Company in April 2013 presented a lioness mask from the award winning production to the Palace Theatre. The mask, designed by the show’s director, Julie Taymor, is still on display in the theatre foyer.

Disney’s The Lion King will play the Palace Theatre, Manchester, from Saturday, January 17, to Sunday, February 22.

For tickets, call 0844 871 3004 or book online at www.thelionking.co.uk